Discover the many perks of hiring an experienced service locator before undertaking a project: a simple step that could help you save a lot of money and hassle.
If you are considering home improvement or renovation works for your home, it’s paramount to plan ahead and carefully consider every aspect of the project. Before you start sketching out a construction/building plan, it is imperative to take a closer look and understand your property, land and construction space. In particular, it’s vital to avoid harming expensive underground infrastructure. Every property contains underground assets including telephone wires, electrical cables, pipes, sewer mains and many more. Whilst a rough guide to the location of these services is available in Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) maps, many services have been lost over time. Damage to such items is expensive to repair, causes extensive delays and creates service interruptions that impair your quality of life and create major inconveniences to you and the rest of your family. In some circumstances, damage can cause service disruptions for your entire neighbourhood.
When you are about to embark on a new home improvement project, it is always a good idea to rely on a professional service locator before you commence construction, especially excavation. Locating underground services will save both your wallet and your peace of mind. It’s quite tough to pinpoint if, or where, vital infrastructure might be buried underground on your property; even something as simple as installing a new mailbox could become a disastrous situation, leading to costly repair bills and expenses should you hit any valuable piece of service infrastructure. If you damage Telstra network or major company infrastructure, in addition to paying for the replacement of the cable, you will also need to pay for labour and equipment costs for the full duration of repairs.
Time setbacks
In addition to the cost involved with repairing damaged utilities, the cost of delaying construction must also be considered. Not only will you need to reschedule any on-going works to begin repairing the damaged utilities, but you might also need to rethink your entire construction plan to avoid causing further damage to underground services. Previously completed work may need to be demolished and re-completed.
Other risks.
In addition to wasting time and money, there are many other risks involved. Damaged service infrastructure is never an easy nor safe fix. Hitting a waste or sewer main could have awful and unpleasant consequences, causing foul stenches or polluting your soil, requiring expensive repairs and specialised removal services. Other risks include electrical shocks, gas leaks, explosion and other dangerous situations that could cause severe injury or even death.
Preventing issues could be trickier than you think.
Even when you gather all the proper information and accurately map all underground service infrastructure under your property, there are still many potential risks. Many construction workers are not qualified to interpret schematics related to service infrastructures properly, and in some cases will misjudge depth and alignment of parts. A trained professional service locator can help you gain peace of mind and avoid issues that could cost you massive amounts of time and money. A professional service locator will be able to mark out your services with paint, providing a visible, concrete location for each hazard.
Hiring a professional service locator, will help you improve your plans for home remodelling or renovation projects. Before any digging, you need to be informed by a service locator of potential hazards, so you don’t have to stumble in the dark and take chances that might be financially problematic or harmful. One of the most prominent ways to gain information regarding the exact location of service infrastructure would be to contact institutions such as “Dial Before You Dig,” also known as DBYD. This organization serves as a database, sourcing information directly from infrastructure asset owners. DBYD offers data at no charge to third parties, including plumbers, building contractors, homeowners and anyone who is interested in performing any excavation works including real estate or industrial developers to mention but a few.
While anyone can access information from companies such as DBYD, not everyone is able to locate infrastructure and prevent issues on site and in person. Professional service locators will save massive amounts of time through the location of services and avoidance of damage. Many of our customers feel that hiring a professional service locator might sound like an unnecessary overhead cost, however many find it to be a helpful process, affording them peace of mind for the duration of their project.
Hiring a professional service locator for your next project will provide you with peace of mind and will help you overcome many issues before the shovel gets dirty. A vast majority of engineers and contractors already use wire location services, which are essential in determining the exact whereabouts of any infrastructure under the ground, including electrical wires, as well as telecom networks and other assets. Contact Safe dig today for more information.
Queensland Wide Service Locating:
As one of the few Telstra Accredited Service locators in Queensland, Safe Dig proudly service the entire state through our offices in Brisbane, Gladstone and Mackay. We pride ourselves on going the extra mile for our major clients, completing service location work on the rail corridor and on major construction sites. With our 2D ground-penetrating radar, locating wands, CCTV inspection facilities and state of the art equipment, we are able to detect everything from electricity cables, gas lines, phone lines, Telstra cables and water pipes to buried man-holes. Our staff are also accredited with first aid, confined spaces and OHS training so you can be sure we’re the ones for you.
